Meetings in Stone Hallways
by the-yetis-love-anime
Summary: Marinette's parents get a job in the Castle kitchens and the young girl now finds herself a maid for the royal family... well not quite. She's still in training, but her curiosity and clumsiness tends to get her in trouble. But a young blond Prince doesn't seem to mind the new maid; it distracts him from his lonely days. A Castle AU for Miraculous Ladybug
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So I got a quick idea about a ML AU where Adrien is some sort of Prince and Marinette comes to work at the castle. sailoryue from Tumblr helped me develop some of the ideas, so I decided to make a go at it. It was very late when I wrote this so I didn't proof read (do I ever?) or really look over it. I hope you guys enjoy this! Hopefully, if the feedback is good enough, I'll continue the story. Sorry again if the English is off; I try my best. Anyways, here 'tis. Any feedback is appreciated :D**

He sat by his window, staring out onto the greenery around the castle, and sighed. This was his permanent view. The prince was condemned to stay within the walls, sometimes within the gates when his father was feeling nice, and imprisoned socially. He thirsted for human interaction that went beyond "Sire" and "my lords"; he wanted for someone to just talk to him as a normal person, with no status barrier standing between them. He sighed again, _like that would ever happen_.

His depressing trance was broken when he heard sudden whispering in the hallway. "This is the library. The prince spends quite an amount of time for who knows what reason… Pay attention! Dear heavens, you are aware that the only reason we are taking you on is because your father was hired to cook here correct?" The prince didn't hear a response, so he assumed whoever the woman was talking to had answered. "Yes. Well, you'll need a little more backbone and be a bit quicker in the mind. Do you understand?"

"Y-yes," a smaller feminine voice had said. Clearing her throat she continued, "Yes, of course. And thank you again for the opportunity. I know I'm not the best girl to take under your wing, but I will try my best. Yeah."

"Humph. Yes, well we'll see how well you hold up."

The prince could almost hear the young woman gulp, and smiled when he was imagining what that would look like. He tiptoed over to the library door and slowly opened it, hoping to see the two women speaking in the hallway. They were far away from his door now, and all he could perceive was a small, thin body, and black hair that reflected blue with the light. He would be on the lookout for that one in the future

* * *

Marinette let out a big sigh of relief when she entered the kitchen. The tour with the head maid Caroline was long and tiring, and she couldn't wait to get back to her father.

"So, how's the castle Marinette?" Her father's loud voice asked.

"Oh Papa. My brain hurts so badly from all that information she was cramming in there. Which passages you have to take at certain times of the day, how to address who… I don't even know anymore." She slouched against the wall.

"Would a pastry make you feel better, _ma belle_?" her mother walked in with a tray of croissants.

"Always, Maman," Marinette smiled and skipped over to her gift-bearing mother. She bit into the buttery goodness of professional baking. "Ah, yes. This is exactly what I needed." Her gastronomical enjoyment was cut short, when she heard quick footsteps running down the stairs.

"Marinette?" asked an older woman in a maid gown. "Marinette, we're getting the sheets off of Prince Adrien's bed. Caroline demands your presence there."

"Well go on Marinette. It's your first job, you better get going!" her mother ushered towards the other maid.

"Oh, uh, yeah. I go now- er – I'll be right there!" the young girl was almost tripping over herself to follow the older maid. Even though she was serious, Marinette couldn't help but be all over the place when she got nervous.

However, her nervousness dissipated as she approached the prince's room. Of course she feared encountering any of the nobles and royalty in the castle, but she knew that if the head maid had called her up, it meant that there was no chance of meeting anyone important.

"Good grief, Clara. How long does it take you to fetch the girl?" Caroline scolded. Clara puffed out some air and started stripping the pillows of their sheets. Although their exchange seemed harsh, Marinette could tell that there was an affectionate relationship between the two women. "Marinette! Grab that end."

Marinette did as she was told, but was surprised when she touched the sheets. The texture was absolutely magnificent: a silky smooth white that reflected somewhat in the light. She couldn't believe that someone actually slept in this material, especially when it was so hard to find on the market. What she would do to get her hands on materials like this to work with. But those days of stitching and sewing were over.

"Uh, Madame Caroline?" Marinette asked sheepishly.

"What is it?" she responded coldly, without even looking at her apprentice.

"Are we supposed to carry _all_ of this," she pointed to the balls of sheets they had created. "To the washing room?"

"No, of course not. We put them in the baskets-" Caroline looked around. "You did bring the baskets up, didn't you?" Marinette gulped. "I swear to- Alright, _I_ will go retrieve the baskets. You stay here and do _not_ touch anything, do you understand?"

"Yes, Madame." She straightened her back as the older woman stomped out of the room. Clara had decided that she would already bring down some of the sheets, so Marinette found herself alone in the big bedroom.

She looked around the room: walls with rich colors and intricate designs, large paintings of landscapes, long thick curtains. Oh, the curtains. She walked towards the curtains. _Do not touch anything, do you understand?_ Caroline's voice bounced around Marinette's brain. Oh, but it couldn't hurt to just feel the material, right? She reached out and felt the smoothness of the curtain. It was rougher than she had expected, but much stitching had gone into the patterns. She analyzed the choice of colors, amazed at how well red, green, and gold could melt together.

"Are you a fan of curtains?" a male voice asked.

Marinette quickly turned around with a squeak. "Oh, um, no. I mean, yes, in a certain way."

"You mean, a curtain way?" he smiled. She looked at him with her jaw dropped. He was handsome: blonde hair that was kind of messy around his face but parted neatly enough, a tall build, and beautiful green eyes. "Yeah, I should've kept that one to myself." He offered her another shy smile.

"Oh, uh, no. It was funny. Haha." She forced a giggle. "I, um, just wasn't expecting anyone. I mean, not that this is my room, or anything, just that Caroline told me that no one would be here when we're working. So I was kind of taken aback." She looked up at him. "Not by you, I mean. Just by anyone."

"Just anyone, huh?" he walked over to sit on the bed. "So what's your name?"

"Uh, Marinette. I started working here today. This was my first task actually. What about you?"

"Prince Adrien?!" Caroline suddenly shouted from the doorframe. Marinette's head shot back around to the boy.

 _Oh dear._


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: oh hey everyone! I wrote a second chapter :D It takes place directly after Chapter One, but isn't as interesting, because I'm giving more background information. But I hope the introduction of a new character makes up for it! Again, disclaimer: these characters aren't mine, just the plot idea. And the English might be total poop, but I'm too lazy to proof read.**

Adrien sighed; he had gotten about five seconds of incognito interaction with a new face and now he was back to Prince. He looked at a shocked Marinette.

"P-prince?" she stammered. She immediately bowed to him. "I am so sorry! I didn't know. I didn't mean to touch your curtains. I shouldn't have, oh, I am so so sorry!"

Before he could appease her, Caroline started shouting. "Touch the curtains? Did you touch his curtains? You are unbelievable! Truly. I told you to not touch anything and what do you do? You go disobey no less than a minute later. This is your-"

"Caroline!" Adrien interjected. The older woman focused her attention on the prince. "It is quite alright. My curtains have suffered no harm and Marinette wasn't aware of who she was speaking to. It is actually my fault that I came in here knowing that you would be taking care of my sheets. My apologies." He put his hand on his stomach and bowed.

Caroline, shocked, bowed as well. "No, the fault is entirely ours, Prince Adrien. We should have been more careful. And I certainly shouldn't have let the new maid alone. Please forgive me."

"Yes, well, we can just put this behind us then." He smiled at Caroline. An awkward silence settled into the room and the boy slid his gaze over to Marinette. She was still staring at him with amazement. He smiled a little at how all of her face didn't hide any of her emotions. At this, Marinette was pulled out of her daze, bowed her head and blushed. He cleared his throat and said, "Well, then. I think I will leave you to your duties. Good day." He pivoted and left the room, not really sure of where he would go.

As soon as the prince was out of sight, Caroline flicked the back of Marinette's head. The young girl flinched, but didn't say anything; she knew what she had done wrong. "I don't know what is wrong with you, but you must do as I say. I know the castle rules are strict, however one must respect them if one wants to continue working here." She walked over to the bed and grabbed the dirty sheets to put in the baskets.

"Yes, I understand," Marinette stated and followed her superior. After some quiet seconds down the stairs, she couldn't help herself and asked, "so that was the prince?"

"Yes, Marinette. How observant."

"Oh. Well, I hadn't expected him to look like that." She continued to talk, not bothered that the head maid wasn't answering. "I mean, not that I had any idea of what he would look like, but still. And he's really polite! Outside of the castle, I heard people saying that royalty is always stuck up and cold, but he's nice." Maybe it was because she hadn't been focusing on walking correctly or maybe it was the pile of clothes she was carrying that was blocking her view, but before she could even realize it, Marinette was airborne. White sheets expanded in the air and Marinette had landed on something – soft?

"Oh, wow, what a crash!" said a voice below her. Marinette opened her eyes and the smiling face of a strange girl. "I haven't seen you anywhere here before. You new?"

"Uh, yeah," Marinette said slowly. "I just started working today."

"Ha ha! I knew it! Nothing happens here without me knowing about it. So I'm guessing you're the new chef's daughter? What was his name again? Tim, Rob?"

"Tom. Tom Dupain."

"Yes! There you go! So you're his daughter, huh? Well, nice to meet you. I'm Alya." The girl shot her a big bright smile. Her hair was a curly brown and orange and Marinette admired her nice bronze skin. It shone so nicely in the light.

"I'm Marinette." She shook Alya's hand.

"Oh good, Alya, you've met Marinette," said Caroline picking up the fallen sheets. "Perhaps you can keep her out of trouble." She grabbed the now full basket and started down the hallway. "I'll finish the sheets. We wouldn't want you accidently doing anything to the prince's sheets. I will, however, call you over again once the washing is done. Until then, Alya I trust you to keep her from doing anything stupid."

"Yes, Madame!" Alya stood up and held out a hand for her new friend. "So, trouble on the first day already?"

"Yeah," she answered sheepishly. "I accidently met the prince while touching his curtains."

Alya looked at the small girl for a few seconds before bursting out in laughter. "What? How do you accidently meet the prince? And what's this about touching his curtains?"

"I was, uh," Marinette started to giggle. "I was in his room with Caroline and Clara stipping his beds, but both of them left, so I really wanted to touch his curtains, because the sewing work on this is just amazing. But right when I was feeling it, this guy comes in and he cracks this really weird joke, but he was so handsome and I didn't know what to say, and then Caroline came in and yelled with that big voice of hers, you know, 'Prince Adrien!', and I thought, 'the prince?!'. That's when I realized that I was alone in the prince's (the prince!) room, feeling up his curtains like a creep!" She was almost out of breath from recounting her story, but Alya was bent over in half from the ridiculousness of this new girl.

"Oh, Marinette. You're too much. I'm sure the Prince Adrien didn't mind, as long as you weren't trying to steal anything. He's quite nice, actually."

"I know he is! He was so polite and sweet when Caroline was all over the place apologizing and everything. I didn't expect him to be like that." The two girls had started to walk towards the kitchen.

"There are many things that will surprise you about him."

"What do you mean?"

"My friend Nino and I have been around the around the castle since we were little. Although we never really saw the prince until we were older, we could already tell that he inherited his mother's gentleness. But when she passed away, things just sort of changed. Prince Adrien is still nice and all, but things around the castle changed, and now, he seems, I don't know, out of place."

"Oh," Marinette said quietly. "I knew about the Queen dying and everything. I didn't realize how badly it would affect him though."

"I don't think Prince Adrien was really affected by it that much. I don't mean that he wasn't sad; he was, for sure. But the King was the most devastated. I don't think he ever got over that." Alya sighed, and Marinette decided to end the conversation there. I guess sorrow touches everyone, no matter who they are.

"Marinette!" a voice shouted. "Help me hang these sheets!"

"Coming!" the girl shouted back. She saluted Alya and ran toward the end of the hallway. "Duty calls!"

 **P.S.: I wrote the two first chapters when I was on break and I have just returned to school and by consequence a life full of stress and work. All this to say, I don't know when I'll be ble to write the next chapter(s), so I'm sorry if they come out way later than you would like.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: oh wow I got this done way faster than I thought I would. I got back from Spring Break Sunday night and I've been swamped with work, so the writing has been slow. I think the only reason I finished this was because I'm avoiding writing a paper for one of my classes haha. Anyways, here's chapter 3! Again, no proof reading done, because I 'm very, very lazy. Another character is introduced, yay :D Enjoy!**

The week had gone by with no problems… well nothing major at least. Marinette was still clumsy as ever, but the staff around the castle seemed to grow accustomed to it and helped her out when they could. Her gaucheness was somewhat endearing and her personality appeared to brighten up everyone's day a little.

Alya and Marinette had gotten closer too and they could be seen together whenever they had time off from their duties. Marinette's parents had also befriended Alya, as they were happy to see someone of their daughter's age around the castle staff.

" _Bonjour_ Alya!" said Sabine, sending a bright smile to the young girl walking into the kitchen.

"Good morning, Madame," Alya responded, yawning. "How do you have so much energy in the morning? I've been on a constant early schedule for years, but I still yearn for my bed the first hour of my day."

"Oh, it's not too bad. I've been doing this for so long I don't even realize how early it is anymore"

"Ha, you should have seen her when she first married me though," Tom entered the room. "She could barely stand. The first day she grabbed onto the bed and groaned. 'Oh, but Tom, the sun isn't even up yet! Why are we waking if the sun isn't even awake yet'. Just like that."

Alya was bent over laughing. Sabine had swatted her husband, with a small smile on her face. "Yes, well, it did take some getting used to. But now look who gets up first. Are we funny now, Tom-tom?" She looked at the cook mischievously. He chuckled and kissed the top of her head.

"You two are so cute. A true story of love," Alya commented form the stool in the corner, now designated her seat "forever".

"Oh, Alya, you're making me blush. We just got lucky: right timing and all that. Although, there was a small period in time when Marinette's father thought he couldn't have me"

"What?!"

"Ugh, yes, I remember that," groaned the big man from the other side of the table. "There was another boy in the neighborhood that was interested in her. They went to the village dance together, and I thought it was over."

A cute giggle could be heard from the doorway. Marinette was still tying her hair as she walked over to her parents and gave them a good morning kiss. "But that was _Maman_ 's seduction method. She was impatient, waiting for _Papa_ to make a move, so she decided to take matters into her own hands and asked the butcher's boy to the dance."

"Wait," Alya exclaimed. "You're telling me that _Maman_ Dupain-Cheng made your _Papa_ jealous on _purpose_!"

"Mm-hmm," Marinette giggled again. "When _Papa_ saw, he was overwhelmed with jealousy. So he baked her caked and showed up at her door with cake and flowers in hand, and asked her to 'see him as a man'. You know what they say, the best way to get to a woman's heart is through her stomach."

"And the rest is history," said _Papa_. "You've got to watch out with women, especially Dupain-Cheng women. They're fierce." He faked a shudder that earned him a swat from his daughter. All of them were laughing at the light teasing between the family members. _That's what a family should look like,_ thought Alya.

" _Madame Dupain-Cheng!_ " yelled a voice from the hallway. Soon, Caroline round stature could be seen in the doorway. The older woman was out of breath and beads of sweat could be seen rolling down her face. "Madame Dupain-Cheng."

"Yes, Caroline. What can I do for you?" Sabine looked at the woman worriedly.

"Can you sew?"

"Uh, yes, but not very well. Why?"

"One of the musician's costumes tore and now he has a big hole! They must rehearse before the guests arrive tomorrow! And the seamstress is sick in bed with morning sickness again."

"Guests? What guests?" asked Marinette. Her father nudged her to shush and Alya threw her a glance that implied she knew and would inform her later.

"Oh, well. Marinette sews very well. She could help you," Sabine pointed towards her daughter.

"Marinette?" Caroline asked with a small voice. She was worried that Marinette would make some grand mistake again. She considered it for a moment, but then concluded that they had no other choice. "Very well then. Marinette, follow me."

Minutes later, Marinette was in a small room, surrounded by hundreds of different needles and cloths. She was in heaven; she had never seen so many different materials and button and sashes…

"Um… hello?" a voice pierced through her reverie.

"Oh! _Bonjour_! I'm Marinette, a new maid here. I wasn't doing anything wrong. I didn't touch anything!" she quickly stated. She looked at her interlocutor: a young boy with dark skin, almost like Alya, but with darker eyes. He had a shy little smile, but was charming enough.

"I'm Nino, the violinist. Caroline told me to come here to repair my shirt."

"Yes, I can do that. Do you have your shirt?" He gave it to her and they both sat down on the chairs in the room. "So, you're Nino, huh?"

"What?" he asked surprised.

She giggled at his reaction. "You're Nino. My friend Alya has told me about you."

"Really?" his eyes shot up, suddenly interested. "What has she said?"

"Not much. Just that you two have known each other for a while."

"Oh."

Marinette noticed the change of mood in the atmosphere, so she decided to move on to a different topic. "So, who are these guests that you're playing for?"

The boy groaned. "The Bourgeois family. _Monsieur_ Bourgeois is the King's new advisor. They're moving in to the villa on the grounds to be closer to the Royal family."

"I had no idea," Marinette replied, tongue sticking out as she fed string though her needle.

"Yeah, well, it's not such great news. Their daughter is insufferable."

"Why's that?"

"Chloé. There's just something wrong with her. I don't know if she hit her head when she was younger, but as long as I've known her, she's been a real pest. She's so… entitled. She always treats everyone as inferior, particularly the staff, and as soon as something goes wrong, she cries for her daddy. And she's all over the Prince whenever she sees him. No modesty, I swear."

At this, Marinette stopped her sewing and looked at the violinist. "Chloé and the Prince are close?"

"Not really. It's complicated. I think the late Queen, may she rest in peace, and _Madame_ Bourgeois were close. So the Prince and Chloé saw each other a lot when they were younger. She's pretty much the only relation he's kept since his mother passed away."

"You mean she's the only friend he has?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Wow," she returned to her work.

"Yep, no kidding. He's had a tough life, and the King doesn't make it easy on him either. The poor Prince is always stuck in these stone hallways." Nino sighed, and looked out the thin window. A few moments of silence passed until Nino stood up. "I mean, why can't he go outside? It's not like he's a child anymore. And he's smart and athletic; he's been practicing fencing for as long as I can remember. Or he could at least have people over, you know? Not just be stuck all by himself here."

"N-Nino."

"I know, I know," he sat back down. "I just feel for him. I'm lucky enough to have Alya around who's the same age as me, but I can at least talk to the people around the castle. The Prince? Nothing. _Rien. Du. Tout._ "

"Why don't you talk to him?" After a few seconds of no response, Marinette looked up at Nino. His eyes were looking straight into hers and his jaw was loose. "W-what?"

"Are you joking with me right now?" he asked, suddenly sounding serious.

"No, of course not! But, I just suggested you talk to him, because you're the same age and everything. Perhaps he would enjoy aving you in his company."

"Marinette. I'm a musician. A musician. Do you realize what position that puts me in? I'm nothing here. I can just walk up to the Prince, and say 'hey man, what's up? Check out these new biscuits the cook's wife made. Aren't they delicious?' It doesn't work like that, Marinette."

"Ok, maybe so, but he needs someone, you said so yourself. I'm sure he wouldn't mind you being a musician."

"Yeah, well, let's see you try first."

Marinette sent a big smile his way. "Fine. I'll do it. Then you won't have any excuses."

Nino scoffed. "Are you being serious? _You're_ going to talk with the Prince?"

"Of course! I've already spoken with him once. Well, not really. Sort of. He caught me touching his curtains. It was an awkward day for me."

"You're one of the kind, Marinette." Nino smirked at his new friend.

"Ok, I'm done!" she held up the shirt, admiring her work. "I added some stretchy material in the armpit so you could have more movement and it wouldn't tear as much."

"Oh, you could tell that it wasn't the first time I ripped it?"

"Yeah! You can see all the stitching done in the area around it. The seamstress should really make you another one. With you growing and everything, it's only natural that you would tear the shoulders. Especially being a violinist."

"Maybe you could make it sometime. You seem to have done a better job than the regular seamstress."

Marinette blushed. "I don't think so. Sewing was just a hobby for me."

"Anyways, _merci_ Marinette. I'll see you later."

"Yes! Stop by the kitchen anytime! My parents can always give you a little something from the day, and Alya stops by quite often too." At the mention of Alya's name, Nino's back straightened. He pulled his hand up by his head to give a wave good-bye, and hurried out of the sewing room. Marinette chuckled at the boy. _Oh she was going to have fun with those two. Fierce indeed._

* * *

Marinette was walking through the hallways without any intention of stopping anywhere in particular. She hummed to herself with her arms behind her back, absorbing the sight of the castle. She couldn't imagine being locked up in here forever; Marinette loved being outside and actually missed her village quite a bit. She stopped to look out the window. It had been cracked open to let some spring air through.

"Oh, a ladybug!" said a male voice. Marinette jumped in surprise and looked at the boy who had startled her. The one and only Prince. "Sorry, I didn't mean to frighten you."

"Y-you didn't. I was just lost in my thoughts and didn't hear you walk by. You walk like a cat."

"What?" he asked, confused.

"I didn't mean it as an insult! Of course not!" she began to blush. "It's just that cats are very quiet, you know. They don't make a sound when they move, very stealthy."

"So I'm a cat then?" the Prince looked out the window and sighed. "If only I could be a cat."

Marinette couldn't keep her eyes off of him. What a mystery he was.

"Marinette?" whispered Alya's voice, although not too discretely. The girl saw her friend and the Prince standing by the window. "Oh, I'm so sorry, your Majesty."

"No need to apologize, Alya," said the Prince.

"What's wong Alya?" asked Marinette.

"Uh… Oh! Your parents want your help in the kitchen."

"Ok. I'll be right there." She turned and bowed to the Prince, then followed Alya to the kitchen.

The blonde boy looked at their retreating figures and sighed, once again. At this rate, he won't know how to breathe correctly anymore. That was his second encounter with the bright Marinette, and he liked every second of it. She didn't treat him coldly, like many of the servants did. She would speak to him normally, or almost normally, at least. He stared at the grounds outside again, longing for what was beyond these walls.

 **P.S. I had no idea it would actually be this long, sorry about that. I have a few idea about the next chapter, but nothing concrete yet. So it might be a while until Chapter 4...**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Oh my goodness, it's been forever guys. I am so sorry for the delay with this chapter. I've been super duper busy with school and work, and then just thow in a little laziness… So this is a pretty long chapter, but it has some long boring parts in it. Mainly to set up some context; I'm not very good at this haha. Again, please excuse any mistakes in here, because I didn't proofread and my English got rusty. Otherwise, enjoy this belated Chapter!**

"Marinette! Marinette!" whisper-shouted someone. Marinette could feel herself being shaken and heard her mom's voice, but she was too tired to think it was real. "Marinette, get up _right now_! The castle has some important guests today and we all need to be up and running before they arrive."

" _Maman,_ " the girl groaned, "five more minutes. Please."

"No." Before Marinette really registered the sternness of her mother's voice, she felt herself thrown to the floor. She looked up to her mother who held her quilt in her arms. "Next time, get up before I have to roll you out of bed again. Now, get ready. It'll be a long day."

Marinette sat on the floor and passed a hand through her hair. Hadn't she just gone to bed? She looked outside; there was barely any color to the sky. Yeah, she probably had just gone to bed. She had been kept awake by though of the different clothes in the seamstress' room. And the Prince. Now that was a puzzle to solve.

"Marinette! I don't hear you moving up there!" her mother's voice yelled up the stairs.

"I'm coming!" she yelled back. With a big sigh, she stood up and got dressed. Once she had tied her apron on, she grabbed her hair ribbons and started running down the stairs to the kitchen.

"Ah, Marinette," her father's loud voice said. "Good morning, _ma belle_." He leaned down so she could give him a kiss on the cheek. "How did you sleep?"

"Not well, apparently," muttered Sabine from the corner.

"Ugh, _Maman._ I'm sorry, ok? I didn't mean to sleep in."

"I know, _chérie_." Sabine stuck out her cheek to receive her kiss from her daughter. "Now hurry up and help Caroline. I'm sure she's freaking out by now."

"Yes! I'll see you later guys," Marinette giggled and left running. She heard her mother sigh and say "does that girl ever go anywhere without running?" To this, Marinette smiled. She knew that despite her harsh words her mother still loved her immensely.

So she sprinted the hallways. They'd become familiar to her now. She knew every twist and turn and remembered all the shortcuts Alya had showed her. She made it to Caroline's quarters, with most of the maids were grouped.

"Ah, there you are Marinette. Alright, this is most everyone. Now, as you know, today is an important day: we are receiving the Bourgeois family for the first time. They will be staying here from today onwards, which means we will be a little shorthanded for the next few weeks until I can hire some more people. Therefore," she looked at each of the women, "you need to be ready to be overworked and tired. I also need you to be top-notch. We want to make a good impression on the Bourgeois. If not…" She let the end of the sentence hang in the air. They all knew what the consequences were if you weren't satisfactory to guests. With this being said, I'll give you today's responsibilities and we're off to work."

* * *

Marinette stood ram-rod straight; she had flattened her apron several times, all with trembling hands. She didn't really understand why she was so nervous. Of course, she had a weird sense of luck that could jeopardize her position as a maid, so that might contribute to her anxiety. Caroline cleared her throat loudly next to her. Marinette glanced at her to see that the head maid was giving her a look: a warning. Marinette gulped; she didn't want anything to go badly.

She looked around the great hall: light stones, high ceilings, and thick tapestry along the walls. If only she knew she would end up here. Naturally, as a young girl she had imagined living in a castle, married to a prince. But those daydreams quickly left her juvenile brain as she faced reality, which, she must admit, wasn't too bad most of the time. She wasn't longing for anything in particular.

Trumpets blared, making Marinette jump out of surprise. She turned to see the entrance of the great hall and perceived the king walking though. She immediately looked away and bowed, as did everyone else. She had never seen the king before, but he was a beautiful man. Yes, he was a little aged, but he was nevertheless handsome. A few steps behind him was Prince Adrien. She stole a glance of him as well. He looked suffocated by his robes, the furs probably overheating him in the spring air. He took his seat by the king in his small throne.

The king nodded to the trumpeters to stop. A smaller and frailer man walked in, slowly found his way to the steps in front of the throne, and bowed. "Your Majesty, the Bourgeois family has arrived."

"Let them in".

The frail old man turned around and clapped. The trumpets started their song again and two figures could be seen. An older, male, somewhat round figure and a younger, feminine and thin body. Marinette perceived them as they walked to the king and his son. The girl, who she assumed was Chloé was quite beautiful. Not shockingly beautiful, Marinette told herself, but definitely a royal appearance. She had long golden hair and was rather graceful in her long dress.

"Your Majesty. My Prince." The man and his daughter bowed. "I, André Bourgeois, have arrived. I bring with me my daughter, Chloé Bourgeois. I have come to be at your service as advisor. We thank you for your most generous offer and hope for a prosperous future."

"Yes, thank you Bourgeois. We shall move to the dining hall. You must be tired from your tavels."

"Thank you for your concern, your Majesty. We assure you that the trip was no hassle. It is a pleasure to be by your side."

The two men continued to exchange polite words as a whole procession walked to the dining hall. Marinette felt herself getting more nervous. She feared she would really, really screw something up. She shuffled quickly into the dining hall; she had chair duty for Mademoiselle Bourgeois.

"Excuse me." Marinette was pulled out of a daze. She looked at the young noble.

"Yes?"

"Don't speak!" said Chloé. "What kind of maid are you? You should know that I can't sit on the chair when it is too close to the table; my dress won't fit."

"Yes. I am so sorry. Please forgive me," Marinette said quietly.

Chloé harrumphed and sat down. "Yes, well, I am rather forgiving. Just make sure this doesn't happen again. I don't have all day to wait, you know. I am the advisor's daughter."

Adrien looked worryingly at Marinette. He felt bad for her. He knew that she was rather new (well, not so much anymore, but enough that she hadn't been able to practice table manners for any aristocratic women). He saw throw her tongue so quickly he wasn't even sure she did. He let a small chuckle leave him. Marinette shot him a look and blushed. He had seen her childish gesture and he was making fun of her. She continued to look at him. _It was nice to see him smile like this._

"So, dear Adrien," started Chloé. "Do you have to put up with this kind of behavior from your servants every day?"

"Oh, well, um," he didn't know what to say. "I find it rather amusing. They don't do it to be mean, you know."

"Oh no, of course not!" the girl giggled. "They're too dumb to comprehend."

"Chloé-" Adrien started, but was cut off by his father. He knew the displeasing look in his father's eyes too well. It was time for him to be silent.

The lunch continued without any further problems, to Marinette's relief, and surely to the rest of the staff as well. Everyone moved to another room that served as a smaller ballroom. Marinette continued to stand as straight as possible and tried not to stare at the royalty in front of her. Then, a few musicians walked in. She recognized the costumes: she sewed one of them up yesterday. She smiled lightly as she saw Nino take a position. He returned her smile with a wink and began playing. The music was wonderful. So wonderful that it was putting Marinette to sleep. She started to yawn when she saw that the prince had caught her in the act. She quickly shut her mouth and blushed again. He sent her a small smile, but looked back at the musicians.

She couldn't help but think he was a really nice guy. It wouldn't be that hard to talk to him, right?

* * *

Marinette was dragging her feet in the hallway. She was practically drooling with want for food and sleep. "Ugh, my feet are so sore. I've never had to stand for that long"

"Marinette!" shouted a voice from the other end of the hallway.

"Nooo," she groaned quietly. She slowly turned around to see Caroline approach fast. That work her up. "Uh, yes? Caroline?"

"I just wanted to say, you did a good job today. We thought you would royally screw up today, no pun intended." Marinette just gave her a blank stare. "Anyways, you deserve a good night sleep. Good work today." Caroline patted the girl's shoulder and walked away.

Marinette, shocked, watched Caroline as she left. "'Good work'? 'Good job'?" Marinette touched her shoulder. "She patted me? She congratulated me?" Her face lit up with a smile and she jumped for joy. Then she did a little foot dance and twirled. "Prince!" she stopped when she saw the young man's face.

"Oh, hello. Don't let me interrupt you, Marinette," he smiled.

"Ugh – er – you weren't interrupting anything… You saw that didn't you?" she blushed.

He laughed. "I am so sorry. I don't mean to laugh. You were just so happy, so I didn't want to stop you from expressing your joy."

"Ha ha. Yeah, I am kind of happy." The both walked to the window they had been looking at the night before. "The first week I was here everyone kept yelling at me. I couldn't seem to get anything right. But today, a super important say, I didn't mess up. Well except for that thing with _Chloé_ and- Oh my dear! I mean Mademoiselle Bourgeois! I am so sorry." She bowed.

Prince Adrien let out a nervous laugh. "No, I understand. She's… well she's Chloé. I know that she can be kind of mean to others, but she's my only friend."

"Yeah, I know."

"You know?"

"Um, well, sort of. The violinist, Nino, he told me. He's been here since he was little, just like Alya. So they both know what happens around here."

"Oh. I didn't know they were watching me."

"Oh dear, when you put it like that, we all sound a bit creepy. I think they worry about you. I mean, they see you, knowing you're the same age as them, and they feel bad that you can't do much." Adrien sighed and let out a small confirmation. "By the way, prince, what were you doing?"

"Me? Nothing." His eyes were all over the place avoiding her gaze.

"I'm not going to rat you out, you know. That's what servants are for: you can confide in us and we don't have to tell anyone if that's what you want."

"Except my father." Adrien leaned against the wall, with a longing look towards the outdoors. "In truth, I wanted to take a small walk outside. It gets stuffy within these walls and I just want to feel the air of freedom."

"And you were going to leave like that?" Marinette pointed to his clothes.

"What's wrong with them?"

"I doubt the guards would allow you to just _stroll_ out of the gates. If you were trying to sneak out, your clothes are way too noticeable and not really sturdy for escalading."

Prince Adrien looked down at himself and let out a deep sigh. "Yeah, you're right. What was I thinking anyways?"

Noticing his change of mood, Marinette jumped in, "It's not a terrible idea! You just need a better plan."

"Yes, so what would you suggest?" he looked at her, half teasing.

She put her hand to her chin to think. "I have an idea!" she turned to him. His eyes were big with curiosity. "But it'll be a surprise. I'm not sure it would work."

"Al…right."

"Just trust me, ok?" Marinette smiled. "I'll see you again, Prince Adrien."

"Until then, Marinette." He gave a short bow, eliciting a small blush from the girl. He smiled at her and she took her leave.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N : Hello everyone ! it has been an eternity and for that I am extremely sorry. I had my finals and then I travelled back to France, where I have been having computer and Internet problems. I hope this long chapter will make up for the long wait. Also, the punctuation may be off, because I am writing with my French computer (rather than an American) soi t might look werid. And the spell check is off as well. Anyways, excuses aside, I hope you enjoy this chapter !**

« What has you sighing so much ? » asked Alya.

Her friend, Marinette, slumped over and groaned. « Why do I make promises I can't keep ? I told him like a week ago that I would help him. I told him that I had this great idea and that it would be a surprise, but what have I come up with ? Nothing. »

« You're so dramatic, Marinette. I'm sure he's completely forgotten about it. »

Alya jumped as Marinette sent her a stare. « That is not what I want, Alya. What kind of person would I be if I gave him empty promises ? »

« Well, what choice do you have now ? »

Marinette sighed. « I don't know. » She looked around the garden. Alya's parents worked in the gardens and she could tell that her whole family was rather artistic. « You know, I was thinking about making him something that he would be able to move around in, but that was still stury enough for him to hide if anything. »

« So… why don't you just make that ? » Alya asked. She looked over at her desperate friend. If she didn't know how much the situation was bothering the baker's daughter she would have laughed. She wore her heart on her sleeve Marinette couldn't hide her feelings from the entire world.

« I don't have the materials. I don't have anything ! » Marinette threw her arms up in the air. « I mean I have a few of my old needles and other stuff. But definitely not enough to help me even begin a suit. »

During the few weeks that Alya got to know Marinette, she learned that Marinette worked at a small tailoring shop. According to her parents she was very talented and passionate. They felt somewhat guilty for pulling her away from the work, but the pay and safety that the castle offered was too much to refuse.

« Yeah, that it kind of a problem. »

« Kind of ? » Marinette whined.

Alya laughed at her friend. « Oh, Marinette, we'll figure something out. » Her giggling stopped when she perceived a low voice behind a row of bushes. « Marinette, wait a second. »

« Huh ? » said the girl, half aware of what her friend was saying. Alya grabbed Marinette's arm and told her to shush. They both crouched behind a bush and Alya pulled some branches out of her view. « What is it ? » Marinette asked. Alya shushed her again. So Marinette tried to look through the bush and finally caught a glimpse of what Alya had been looking at.

On a small stone bench sat Nino, the violinist. Marinette knew that Alya and Nino had a special kind of relationship, but never really figured out Alya's feelings for the boy. However, Nino was very bad at hiding what he felt for the girl. Marinette let out a small giggle Alya shot her another look, although she had a huge grin on her face.

All of a sudden, Alya jumped out of the bushes letting out a sort of bird cry. Nino flew from his seat , shrieking. When he turned around and saw what had frightened him, he took in a big breath. Alya and Marinette were bent in half, barely breathing from the amount of laughter that escaped them.

« Alya ? Marinette ? What the heck ? » Nino said, with a hand on his chest.

« You should have seen how high you jumped ! » Alya wheezed. She had started crying from laughter. « It's been a while since you reacted like that. »

« Well, of course. We haven't done that since we were kids. » Although you could hear some of the hurt in Nino's voice, he still smiled a little. « What are you guys doing out here anyways ? »

« Oh, just letting Marinette voice out her frustrations. »

Nino raised an eyebrow. « Oh ? What's happened now ? »

Marinette sighed, the laughter subsiding. « I kinda promised the prince I would help him out with something, but I don't have what I need to help me with my plan. »

« What's your plan ? »

« I wanted to make him a night suit. So he could go out at night. »

Nino's jaw fell. He looked at Marinette, then at Alya (who only shrugged at him), and then back to Marinette. « There's no way. »

« What do you mean ? »

« There's no way you thought of this. »

«Marinette stood straight, rather offended by what her friend had just said. « What's that supposed to mean ? I have a brain, you know ! »

« I'm not saying that you can't think up plans what I meant is that it won't work. »

« Well, thanks for the vote of confidence, Nino. » Marinette crossed her arms and turned her back to him.

« Ok, let's calm down everyone. Nino, why do you think this wouldn't work ? » Alya interjected.

« There's no way the prince could get though the night guards. Uness he decided to climb walls, that is, and even that is risky. »

« He's strong enough to do it though ! » Marinette looked back at him.

« Maybe he is ! But how would you be able to make something for him that could sustain the whole escapade ? »

« Well, that's the problem we were discussing. Marinette thinks she could make something like this, but she doesn't have the proper materials to do anything. » Alya said.

Nino looked at his new friend. « Could you get the proper material and tools in a sewing shop ? » Marinette nodded. « Alright I have an idea. »

* * *

Marinette had her cloak on and a basket in her arms. She hoped that the money she had saved for awhile (plus the little bonus her parents had given her) would be enough to buy what she wanted to make.

Nino needed to buy string for his violin, and some of the other musician had asked he buy some for them as well. He told Alya and Marinette that they could accompany him. So they decided to meet a few hours later to go down into the village.

Marinette was on her way, when someone cleared their throat around the stairway corner. Although she told herself she should probably not get involved, but she decided to anyways. She looked around the corner and saw green eyes looking back at her.

« Prince Adrien ? » she whispered.

« Hello Marinette. How are you ? » his honey voice enchanted her.

« Um, fine. Yes, I am fine. How are you ? » rhe surprise at their conversation was very apparent on her face.

The prince gave her a soft smile. « I am fine as well. » A small silence transpired between them. He cleared his throat again. « This is going to sound… odd, however I noticed you and your friend Alya in the gardens earlier. With the violinist… Nino. It seemed you had gotten into a fight. Is everything alright ? »

« Ye, of course ! It was just a slight disagreement. Everything is fine now. We're actually going to village together to do some shopping. »

« Oh. » Prince Adrien blushed and looked out the window. « So, are you two, uh, close ? » He didn't make eye contact with her.

Marinette cocked her head. « Well, yes ! » Adrien quickly looked at her. « He was one of my first friends here ! I value our friendship. »

Adrien smiled in relief. « Well, you two be careful while shopping. »

Marinette bowed and continued down the stairs. After a few steps, she stopped and turned around. « Prince. Would you like, perhaps, to come, I mean if you would like, to come with us ? » The girl's face was bright red.

The Prince looked at her deeply. « I would love to. However, I'm afraid the guards wouldn't let me out. »

« Oh. » She looked down at her feet. _Of course that was the case,_ she thought. _I'm so stupid. The whole reason we're even going out is to remedy this situation._ « Actually. They will let you pass. »

The Prince raised an eyebrow and Marinette bursted out in a smile.

* * *

« Oh, um, ok, » Nino said.

« I'm sorry, Nino, but this was the only way. » Marinette said honestly.

« Well, probably not the _only_ way, » he mumbled. Alya elbowed him lightly, a sign fo rhim to stop whining.

« It's great to have you come with us, Prince ! » Alya said enthusiastically.

The Prince rubbed the back of his head, somewhat embarassed. « Well, thank you for allowing me to come along. I've never been down to the village, soi t will be nice to see it, for once. »

Marinette giggle beside him. « It will be an amazing experience. I grew up in a village similar to this one. » The Prince looked down at her and saw how happy she was. Hers mile was contagious.

The four of them walked around the village, nodding hellos to other people walking around. Adrien walked slowly , trying to absorb everything : it truly was another world. He watched a little boy chasing another little girl, both of them giggling.

« I need to head over to the instrument shop. Marinette, Alya, are you ok with going to the sewing shop by yourselves ? »

« I'll be with them. It should be fine. » The Prince stated.

« No offense, bro, » Nino said nonchalantly. « But you don't know the way around. »

« It's fine, Nino, » said Alya. « I've been here plenty of times. » She put her arms around his reassuringly. He looked at his best friends, still with worry in his eyes, but gave in.

The group separated. The two girls and the Prince made their way over to the tailor shop.

« Wow, what a place ! » Marinette squealed, obviously excited about being able to touch and choose new materials. Alya shook her head, but followed her friend.

The Prince looked around the village again. The area they had walked into seemed a bit more sketchy than where they had been before. Suddenly, he heard a yell. A girl's voice. He looked over and spotted the biggest of his worries : Chloé.

He rushed to Marinette and grabbed her arm. Worried she asked : « Prince, what's wrong ? »

« Chloé is here. » He was pulling her somewhere, he didn't know where, but he didn't want either of them to be in the Bourgeois girl's sight.

« I'll keep an eye on her, » Alya said. « You two hide here. » She pushed them towards an alley. It was a tight fit, however. Marinette felt her face go red as the prince's arms were tight around her arms.

 _Well, it could be worse ,_ she thought.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Oh my cat litter! It has been forever, and I so very deeply sorry. Like I've said before, I'm back in France with a broken computer and Internet difficulties. Therefore, even if I do have ideas for the next chapters, I can't write and upload. Thank you for your patience and your support. You have no idea how much it pleases me to hear people liking the story (and asking for me to continue it!) and being understanding for the slow uploads. You guys are the best! Here is Chapter 6! With maybe a little more fluff (I don't actually know) and a lot of nosy Alya. Please enjoy :D**

Marinette felt like hours went by. She also felt like her body temperature went up a full five degrees. She could feel the Prince's body under her fingers. Of course, she found him handsome before; she was a normal functioning girl after all, it would be difficult to not notice his beauty. But being this close really threw out any sense of normal functioning. Although she had expected the Prince to be muscular, she was still surprised to feel how… tight his chest was. She shook her head, trying to get rid of those thoughts and cool down.

"I'm sorry for this… compromising position," said the Prince quietly.

Marinette looked up at him. She was lost in his green eyes. She closed her mouth to make sure she wouldn't squeak. That's when she realized that she hadn't bathed that day yet. _Oh dear_ , she thought, _I must smell like the underside of a rat!_ "Uh, um, no. It is I who should apologize. I invited you. And I was too caught up in the shop. And you have to be stuck here. With me. And-"

"Shush. This is the most excitement I've had in a very long time. And there isn't really anyone else I'd rather be stuck with." Marinette quickly looked at him, her face feeling warm. Or at least even warmer than before. Prince Adrien looked at her as well, and a blush immediately spread on his face. "Oh, um, what I meant was-" he cleared his throat to the side. "I didn't mean to be- It's not-"

"Marinette?" a girl's voice whispered. The Prince and Marinette looked to the side and saw Alya. "Chloé is gone. You can come out now."

The awkwardness between Prince Adrien and Marinette grew worse as they both tried to get out of the small space at the same time. Their bodies uncomfortably rubbed against each other until Prince Adrien said that Marinette should get out first, seeing as she was much smaller.

"So what was she doing here anyways?" Marinette asked her friend.

"Chloé? Who knows. But she was very upset over having stepped in some mud and that her hem was 'forever soiled'. She was convinced that it was someone's fault and her father would have them punished." Alya shook her head at the last part of her story.

"Yes, that sounds just like her," the Prince said. "Anyways, I believe we had some business to attend to." With that, the trio walked back towards the tailor shop.

As they entered, Alya was somewhat surprised by Marinette's modest reaction. She knew that Marinette was serious about her sewing, but after seeing how Marinette reacted when they first saw the shop, she thought something was off. She walked over to her friend and talked low, as to not allow the Prince to hear anything. "Hey, Mari. Is everything alright?"

"Hm? Why would anything be wrong?" Marinette kept her eyes focused on the material in front of her. She seemed to be comparing two kinds of cloths, both black.

"It's just that you seemed so excited when we first got here and now, when we walked in, you seemed perfectly calm."

"So my calmness sets you off?" a smiled pulled at her mouth.

Alya gave out a small giggle. "I guess you could say that. But it was more of the sudden change that bothered me." Alya watched Marinette's hands feel along the cloth. To her, they looked exactly the same. Then a thought came to mind. "Is it the Prince Adrien?" She whispered.

Marinette dropped the cloth from her right hand. "Wh-what? Is what Prince Padrien? I mean, Adrien?" The man in question quickly glanced at the two young girls, but could tell that they were speaking in confidence.

"Ha ha ha, Mari. Are you that flustered by our young Lord Prince?"

Marinette's jaw dropped. "What? No. I'm not. I mean, he's beautiful, and so nice. And so, muscular. But, I'm not- we're not anything."

"Oh, it's ok my little Mari. No one would hold it against you to have feelings for him. He is a Prince Charming after all."

"Alya, I already told you I don't. And don't believe for a minute that no one would hold it against me to have feelings for him, because that is not true. I'm a maid, Alya. Not even the head maid: a simple maid. So even if I did hold a special place in my heart for him, I wouldn't be allowed to do anything about it. He's way, way off limits."

The girl hummed at Marinette's response. She would bring up the subject another time; she knew when Marinette was closing on a conversation. Now that she was done talking, Alya let her eyes wander. So many colors; she could understand why Marinette was attracted to the trade. However, Alya was rather poor at sewing and now preferred giving her friend her torn skirts rather than pricking her fingers with a needle. As she skimmed the room, she caught Prince Adrien throwing a glance at Marinette. With a smirk, she walked over to him.

"So, tell me, Lord Prince, how do you like the village?"

"It's quite lively, actually. I enjoyed walking around, seeing the townspeople and their lives."

"Hm. You don't mind the villagers? They don't disgust you?"

Prince Adrien looked shocked. "What? Of course not. Why would you ever say that?"

"I didn't mean to offend you, Lord Prince. It's just that many of the royals don't care for them. Naturally, royals do care about how the general population is faring and how much production is happening. But their day-to-day experiences? Not so much."

"On the contrary, I find it rather intriguing. People here have jobs to do and people to talk to. Their lives are planned out by the second. They at least have some semblance of freedom." He looked back at the buttons, pretending to seem interested in them.

"Unlike you," Alya said quietly. The Prince looked at her for a second and nodded. "You know, Prince Adrien, you don't have to hide your feelings. You're already pretty bad at hiding them for one," she smirked at him. "But there are some people in the castle who genuinely care about you."

"Like you and Nino?" it was his turn to smile.

"Haha. Nino and me. But also some of the maids." She watched as Prince Adrien looked at Marinette again. "Yes, Marinette cares about you too. She was actually quite concerned about your situation when she arrived."

The boy chuckled. "Nothing can get in her way. She's very interesting."

"You think so?"

"Yes. Her personality brightens up any room she walks into. She's definitely made life in the castle more tolerable."

Alya hummed at him; the gears in her mind started turning.

* * *

About an hour later, the trio met up with Nino in front of a blacksmith workshop.

"How long did it take you to look at textile?" Nino complained.

"Oh, like you weren't fawning over the new instruments on your side." Alya teased. Nino mumbled something and eventually announced that they should head back to the castle. Alya knocked into him with her hip to throw him off his path a little. He looked at her amusingly and shoved her shoulder gently.

Prince Adrien smiled at the sight and then looked at Marinette. "Your friends are very nice. Alya is particularly pleasant."

The girl smiled. "Yes, she's been amazing. She was my first friend when I arrived."

"I thought I was?" the Prince slowed. He was teasing her, but he liked to get a rise out of her.

"What?"

"You met me first, didn't you?"

"Yes, of course. But we-"

"We're not friends?" the Prince now stared at her. He was genuinely interested in hearing her answer.

"You're the Prince. I'm a maid. The lion and the mouse aren't usually friends."

"So our friendship is unusual?" he grinned.

"No. I don't know." Marinette kept her gaze focused on her feet.

The Prince spoke loudly. "Well, I consider you my friend. And, as it appears, I have the authority to define these sorts of things. Therefore, Miss Marinette, you are my friend, as I am yours. Unless you really can't tolerate me."

She laughed. "Of course I tolerate you. I enjoy your company."

Now it was Prince Adrien's turn to be surprised. But he smiled gently depite this, and continued walking alongside the young girl in silence.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

 **A/N: ... I only have apologies for this extremly late update. It's almost been year (gasp!) since my last chapter for this fic. I have many reasons for this late update (school, work), but I also have had a lack of inspiration for this story. I've re-read it several times, but I wasn't really sure what I wanted to do for the next chapter. Thus, procrastination. But I finally sat down and decided to force myself to look at this. I think that due to some impending deadlines inspiration struck for this chapter. Funny how the world works. Anyways, enough with all of this blah blah, I'll let you read the chapter! Thanks for your support, even after a year, and I hope I'll be able to get new chapters out soon.**

If there was one word to describe Marinette it was _exhausted_. She was absolutely fatigued; several weeks of staying up late working on her Prince Adrien project had drained all of her energy. With the Bourgeois family having moved in, everyone in the castle was overworked, so her time to work on the night suit was short and becoming uncommon. Sometimes she could only get a few stitches in before she fell asleep on top of her sewing project. But Marinette was still determined to finish the suit, even if its completion will be severely postponed.

Marinette was not the only one who was that tired, her parents had taken a big hit with the supplementary orders of food, but her exhaustion showed a lot more than most everyone, probably due to her late night stitch work. Several people noticed her tiredness though.

"Marinette. Marinette?" a woman's voice called out. Marinette let out a very small groan and opened her eyes into little slits. The candlelight from the kitchen still felt too bright. "Sweetheart, are you feeling alright?"

Marinette's eyes slid over to her mother's face. She sighed and picked her head off the table. "Yes, _Maman_ , I'm just tired."

"Well, you have been working quite a bit with the advisor's family here now. Are you getting enough sleep?" Marinette shrugged at this question. Her mother, still worried, put her hand on her daughter's forehead. "Well, you don't feel like you have a fever. Try to take it easy though. We wouldn't want you to make yourself sick." Marinette nodded, stood, and gave her mother's cheek a kiss. If only she could have a break longer than five minutes, she thought.

* * *

"All right, everyone. As usual, busy day today." Caroline was giving out the daily duties. Marinette had gotten used to her routine that she began to tune out her boss' voice. After this, she would just go to the washing area, scrub and put out to dry, over and over again, until most of it was done. Then she was usually assigned to help with dinner preparations, in the kitchen and setting the table. Sometimes, the Bourgeois would eat with the royal family; when that did happen, Marinette was summoned to help with bringing in the dishes. After her work on the Bourgeois' arrival day, Caroline trusted Marinette more with bigger duties, but still felt it necessary to keep the veteran servants during those dinners, just as to not risk upsetting any of the important personages. "Marinette, you will be going to the Bourgeois house in the afternoon to help with some cleaning."

Marinette loudly snorted. "Wh-what?"

Several of the other maids looked towards the girl. Some even chuckled. Caroline just looked at Marinette with wide eyes, putting her hand on her hip, and sighed. "Marinette. Mylène is out sick today, so you will be replacing her in the Bourgeois home. This isn't a problem, is it?"

Marinette had her jaw open the entire time. It took her a few seconds to recover, all while Caroline was staring her down. "Of course. I was just so used to my usual duties. I apologize".

Caroline just sighed. "It's alright, Marinette. We've all been overworked that sometimes working the routine is second nature. Just don't get too used to habit, because, then, surprises hit you twice as hard." She gave all of the maids a slight smile, which shocked many of the young women around. They were so used to Caroline being strict and cold that her smile was rather unsettling. _I guess fatigue affects everyone differently_ , thought Marinette. With that, Caroline dismissed all of the maids and the hard day of work commenced.

* * *

Marinette walked down the hallway, rubbing her wrists: they were very sore from the morning's load of washing. Although she had been getting used to having her hands soaked in soapy and dirty water, she still couldn't handle the soreness of her muscles. Perhaps her tiredness was really getting to her. She was on her way to her parents' kitchen when Alya skipped down the stairs in front of her.

"Hey Marinette! How's the morning treating you?" Marinette just looked at her friend as she kept trudging along to the kitchen. "Wow, that bad, huh? You seem very low-energy lately." Marinette let out one small laugh that barely sounded like her. "Well, I'm pretty much done for the day, so I could help you with any of your duties. Oh, but wait. You work the dinner, so I can't go out there, huh."

"No, today I'm working the Bourgeois house."

"What?" Alya gasped. Her peppiness was draining Marinette just by standing next to her. She should ask her friend how she was able to have so much energy despite everything. Magic potions, perhaps? "Why are you going to Chloé's house?"

Marinette shrugged. She started to smell fresh bread. "Mylène is sick, so I'm replacing her."

"Yeah, but wouldn't they be able to work without her anyways? I mean, one of the maids is always sick, Caroline doesn't usually rearrange duties, unless it's super important."

"Alya, I just don't know, okay?" she snapped.

Alya stopped, pulling her hand towards herself as though her friend had slapped it. "Well, sorry for asking. I thought I could make some small talk".

Marinette turned around, rubbed her eyes, and let out a breath. "Alya, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you. I'm just really, really _tired_ , and it's making me… I don't know, cranky?" She grimaced towards the gardener's daughter.

Alya smiled back. "I understand. Although, I've seen you tired before, and this isn't what it usually looks like. Are you sure there isn't anything else?" The two girls walked into the kitchen, where the Dupain-Cheng partnership was hard at work. Tom shot a smile towards the two girls, but had no time for more interaction as he needed to prepare lunch.

"Well, I've been staying up late to work on," she glanced at her parents. Of course, they weren't listening, but Marinette was too cautious in fear of them overhearing. "you know what." Alya nodded, urging her friend to continue. "But with all of this added work, I'm hardly able to keep my eyes open while working on the project. So the finishing of the project is delayed and it makes me annoyed."

Alya looked at her friend. "Well, I've said this before, I don't think Pri-," she caught herself, "you know who, the receiver of your project, would be angry at you for not even completing the project. So if it's delayed, he shouldn't have any complaints. If he did, then he would just be a spoiled brat. Which as far as I know, he isn't." Marinette slumped against her friend and put her head on Alya's shoulder. The latter just patted the black-haired girl's head. "You shouldn't make a mess of yourself over this."

Marinette sighed and took a bite out of her mother's roll. Alya did the same, and the girls sat in that same silence for a while. It wasn't bad though; it was comfortable. Until it wasn't.

"Madame Cheng?" Caroline's voice came shouting down the hallway towards the kitchen. "Madame Cheng, have you seen-" The woman was in the entrance of the kitchen. "Ah, there she is." Marinette's mom just glanced over her shoulder to look at the head maid; once she saw that the other woman was occupied with Marinette, she went back to work. "Marinette, I was looking for you".

 _When is she not,_ thought the young girl. "Yes, what is it Caroline?"

"Well, I know it is your break right now, so I apologize for intruding. It's just that because you're working at the Bourgeois house, you should leave soon with one of the other assigned maids. It doesn't take long to get there, but better safe than sorry." This time around, Caroline did look apologetic for interrupting Marinette's break. This day was getting weirder and weirder.

"Alright," accepted Marinette. She stood up, gave the rest of her roll to her friend, and wiped her hands on her apron. "I guess I'm off then." She went over to her father to gift him a kiss on his cheek, then left the kitchen.

"You know, Caroline," said Alya, taking a bite out of Marinette's roll. "She's pretty tired. I'm not telling you how to do your job, but you should think about how much you're making your girls work."

Caroline sighed and looked at the child. "I know. I know it too well. I should look into hiring more people. It's just that I have no time right now. No time to send out inquiries or to train new staff. Hopefully the work will let up soon. Marinette's not the only one who needs a break. We all do." She met Alya's gaze for a moment; with a acknowledging nod, she left.

* * *

Marinette walked over to the Bourgeois house with one of the regular maids. She was a bit older than Marinette, but they had seen each other around enough to be friendly. A small breeze passed by them and Marinette shivered. Spring wasn't as quite warm as it should be.

When they arrived at the house, which was a big mansion by anyone who wasn't royalty standards, the regular maid had Marinette follow her in the servants' hallways. Marinette always hated these hallways, they were so narrow and stuffy and dark. They went into one of the closed rooms, where there were already two other maids working and started brushing off dust and changing the linens.

"Are we preparing this room for someone?" asked Marinette.

The maid who had walked her over, Félicie, slightly shrugged. "I think Mademoiselle Bourgeois' friend is coming to stay for a few days or so. I don't really care". For someone whose name was supposed to mean happy, Félicie was rather stoic. But that was a temperament that many of the servants had: just do what you're told, no questions asked and no problems will ensue. With that, Marinette continued to work in silence with the other girls. It felt somewhat nice to break routine.

After finishing up with making the bed, Marinette and Félicie took the covers for the bed in baskets down to the first floor, still using the servant hallways. But Marinette could hear some louder voices coming from somewhere.

"Oh, don't you think she will love it?" a high pitched voice squealed. Marinette could recognize it as Chloé's. It was rather unforgettable, especially when you're on the receiving end of her shrill comments.

"I'm sure she will." That was a lower voice. A man.

"Adrikins, you could sound a bit happier! You haven't seen Sabrina in years!" Oh, so she was talking to the prince. Marinette was now in the kitchen of the house, which was rather bare compared to the one in the main castle.

"I am, Chloé. And I will be very excited to see her, when I see her." Marinette could see him sitting on the bench in the gardens through the small window. Félicie had nudged her, giving her a basket full of potatoes and a knife. "Peel" she had said and walked over to fulfill some other kitchen task.

Chloé humphed and started some other conversation. Or monologue. She did most of the talking. But Marinette's eyes never left the Prince. He was looking around the garden, touching some of the flower's tips every now and then, seeming completely enamored with the textures and colors of the flora. She realized that this might have been his first time so far from the castle under his father's permission. Of course, their little trip to the village a few weeks ago was adventurous from him, but also risky, since he was undercover.

Her heart ached watching him. How unfair it was to keep a boy who belonged in this setting so far from it, locked up in some stone building for who know how long. With this in mind, she had a new resolve, a new energy. She was going to finish that suit by the end of the week, even if it meant no sleep. Yes, she would do that.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello lovely people! I still receive reviews on this story and it amazes me how many people still follow this story and how many people actually like it and give me such nice feedback. Please know that I read every comment posted to my stories, and even though I don't always get back, I truly appreciate you cheering me on. As per habit, I must excuse myself for the hiatus on this story (and all of my writing actually), and the only reasons I have stay the same: work, school, family, technical difficulties… My life is always kind of hectic. And with the Miraculous Ladybug hiatus, ideas for the next chapter are hard to come by. Thank you to the readers who have stayed loyal to this story and still follow after so long and so little material: I appreciate you all! So please enjoy this eighth chapter.**

Marinette beamed at her handiwork: she honestly believed that this was one of her best works despite how difficult it had been to work in the leather. She picked up the suit for what was probably the fiftieth time that morning to inspect it again. She smiled. _I hope he likes it,_ she thought. She looked outside her small sized window, imagining her prince roaming the world as he so deeply wished to. She sighed pleasantly – until she saw rays of light beaming onto the castle grounds. _Morning already_.

Usually, Marinette would fall asleep onto her dresser (also her workspace) and get a half hour or so of rest before starting a grueling workday. However, today in celebration of her final night of personal work on her project, she decided she would wake up and get the day started. Tonight, she would be able to sleep. With that warming thought in mind, she went downstairs to the kitchen, to find her mother already mixing ingredients in to dough.

"Good morning Marinette. You're up early."

"Good morning, Maman," she replied leaning over to give her mother a kiss on the cheek. "I guess I just woke up with the sun today."

"Any particular reason? With how tired you've been lately, I thought you would be sleeping in."

"I think you'll see that nasty habit kicking in soon." Marinette giggled, and her mother gave her a warm and curious smile. Tom walked in still rubbing his eyes. When he looked up and saw his daughter standing there, he stopped dead in his tracks and rubbed his eyes again. His daughter and wife both giggled at his reaction. "What's wrong Papa? Did the sandman leave too much sleep in your eyes?"

Tom just smiled at his daughter as she came over to give him a kiss. "Perhaps so, my dear. I was just surprised to see you up with your mother, I thought maybe _I_ had slept in." All three of them laughed.

"Well, seeing as I am awake now, is there anything I can do to help you two?"

Sabine had opened her mouth to say "no", knowing her daughter had been extremely tired lately and wanted her to enjoy a calm morning, but Tom had taken her up on the offer and asked her to start making a beef sauce for the royals' lunch. With her father's instructions, Marinette went straight to work. The three of them worked in quiet for an hour, appreciating each other's company and moment of calm, both rare phenomena in the past weeks.

Well, until Marinette was called into her duty assignments for the day – as usual.

* * *

Marinette walked to the Bourgeois house on her own this time; she knew the way now that she had been assigned to duties in the advisor's home a few times since her first assignment. She remembered her private promise to herself that she would finish the Prince's suit within a week. A little unrealistic on her part – instead it had taken her three weeks to finish it. But at least it was done and she could congratulate herself on that feat alone. However, unlike the first time there, she had not seen Prince Adrien there. All the better, in her opinion: she could barely tolerate Chloé when she was alone, and it was much more difficult to listen to her when she was all but drooling over their prince. Marinette scoffed at the idea alone.

She entered through the servant's door, smelling the beginnings of a breakfast. Her stomach growled: she had forgotten to eat while helping her parents prepare the day's meals. Oh well, she had skipped breakfast before, this much wouldn't kill her. She greeted the maids in the kitchen, telling them the food smelled delicious, and moved on to a different hallway. One that would bring her to Sabrina's bedroom.

Marinette had no firm opinion on Chloé Bourgeois' friend, as she seemed like a nice enough girl who just had really _bad_ taste in friends. It didn't matter much to Marinette – she was just a maid, after all. She neared the room through the servants' quarters and stopped behind the "secret" door to listen in and ascertain whether anyone was inside. There was; she could hear Chloé and Sabrina talking. Or rather, just Chloé talking.

"Sabrina, what do you think of this one?"

"The dress looks nice, Chloé. But everything looks good on you."

"Oh, well of course! But does this one scream anything at you?" Marinette rolled her eyes hearing Chloé's remarks. She couldn't believe that anyone could be _that_ self-absorbed.

"Well", Sabrina said a bit more meekly. "It does scream red. Not that that's a bad thing, of course. Red looks good too. It's just a little too, mmm, loud." A pause settled into the room. Marinette began to worry for the redheaded friend.

"I guess you're right. Not that you have the best taste in clothing, dear friend, especially if it weren't for me. Red might be a bit too desperate."

"What's the image you're looking for?"

"Sabrina, we have been over this a thousand times! We're eating at the castle tonight, which means, I will be seated next to my dearest Adrien. There will be dancing afterwards, so I must look my best for my charming prince." Chloé's voice started grating on Marinette's ears. She knew Adrien was friends with Chloé, but she never believed he had any true feeling that ran any deeper than that. "We can continue this later. I am absolutely starving, and those servants have not yet finished preparing our meal! These people are completely incapable of keeping up with this lifestyle! I do not know how the king bears having such incompetent work under his command." With a huff, Chloé left the room, Sabrina probably following behind. Marinette took a deep breath, calming herself from the cold anger brewing from Chloé's harsh words, then opened the door and began picking up discarded wardrobe.

* * *

The young girl shuffled her way home with her eyes half closed, both her feet and eyelids feeling too heavy to properly maneuver them. Walking to and from the Bourgeois manor and the castle was draining on what little energy she had left, but she knew the day was almost over. Once she got back to the castle, she could have a little snack and take a short nap, and then she would have to help clean the dishes from the dinner that Chloé had talked about.

"Hey there, friend. You look positively zombie-like."

"Alya" whimpered Marinette. She could recognize her friend's voice anywhere. Plus, she was the only one who could actually come up with the term that best described what she felt like. "I'm ex _hausted_. I think even my soul wants to lay down in bed for the next decade."

Alya giggled, receiving a weak side glare from her friend. "Well, you should be in bed soon, right? It's almost sundown."

"I wish. I've still got cleaning duty in the kitchen. But after that, the horizontal life is all mine." Alya and she shared a smile and walked the rest of the way happily conversing. Marinette was glad for all the stories and the company; she didn't really get much of any of that in the past few days.

But whatever level of relaxation she had attained on her way home quickly disappeared when she saw Caroline standing in front of the kitchen doors. "Marinette. I need you to come with me."

"Am I in trouble?" Marinette asked.

"No, of course not. You've actually been doing well lately. I just need an extra set of hands."

"For what exactly?"

Caroline grabbed Marinette by the crook of her arm and they both started walking down the hallway, away from the kitchens. Alya waved goodbye to the young maid as she was pulled away. "You are needed for the dinner tonight."

"But I was assigned dinner duty. Just the dishes."

"Yes, well, we're short on people. Again."

"Caroline, I've barely had any rest today. I don't think I can handle the dinner."

The head maid turned towards the girl. "I know, Marinette. Trust me, I do. I wouldn't be asking you this if I didn't absolutely need this from you." She gave the girl an apologetic look. "I need you for the service. One of the other girls broke her leg the other day and now we're short for someone on the floor. You've done this once before it shouldn't be too hard. The others working the dinner will help you out if you're having trouble." With a nod from both, Marinette was prepped to work the dinner.

Thus, she should behind the big dinner chairs, once again, watching nobility slowly enjoying their food and speaking light pleasantries. Her stomach growled at the smell of the dishes across the table, she could feel the dryness of her mouth, making her aware of how little she had drunk that day. She could barely feel the soles from all the pressure she had put on them from standing for so long, her back screamed for some relief, her calves were – she shook her head. If she kept cataloging her body pains, she wouldn't survive the night. Instead, she decided to look towards the prince. Yes, the reason she was so tired was for him, because she wanted him to be able to roam free. She just needed to get through this night, for him.

That was the mantra she repeated to herself as the dinner went on. The nobility started to move towards the big foyer, where there would be music and dancing. She wasn't supposed to be posted at that, so perhaps she could finally go to bed. She pulled out Sabrina's chair as she stood up and waited for the redhead to move along. Chloé shot Marinette a look, not masking her complete disdain for the maid's position. Marinette sometimes wondered whether Chloé even remembered her, but at the moment she could barely even care. Almost everyone was out of the room, the Prince being one of the last to leave. He turned around to send Marinette a friendly smile, trying to show her that he had noticed her presence tonight.

Marinette smiled back and started walking towards the servants' doors. She felt a rush of blood in her body. Her vision went sideways, then black. She lost consciousness before she fell to the floor.

 **End note: I have a pretty clear idea what I want for the next chapter and because I'm on break from both school and work, and I just got a new computer, I'm hoping I can get Chapter 9 out within the month, if not in the next week or so.**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: Hello lovelies! I had said that the following chapter would come out relatively soon, and here it is! I got a lot of comments about how horrid that cliffhanger was and I was actually surprised to see so many people torn up about it, haha. But trust me, there was a reason. This chapter is very dialogue heavy, so I'm sorry if that bores you to death, but I think there might be enough fluff in here for you to forgive me. Please enjoy!**

Marinette's eyes felt heavy and her body somewhat sore. She shuffled her legs some, trying to wake herself up.

"Marinette, don't move too much. You took a hard fall there." She opened her eyes finally to see her mother sitting by her side. "Hey, sweetheart."

"What happened?"

"Exhaustion. The doctor said you were severely dehydrated. That added onto the fact that you hadn't eaten much and worked well beyond your hours, your body just couldn't take it. You fainted at the end of the dinner and were brought directly to us."

"What about Caroline?"

"She's fine, Marinette. She's not angry at you or anything. Actually, she feels kind of bad for assigning you dinner duty after dealing with the Bourgeois home. She's relieving you of some of your duties tomorrow, and maybe the day after, depending on how well you feel. I think it's about time someone covers for you instead of you covering for everyone else."

"Maman, you don't mean that. The others need their rest too." She was fully sited now. "And I should get back to work as soon as I can. If someone needs to fill in for me, then someone will just be getting hurt again."

"What have I done to deserve such a kind daughter?" Sabine said. "But I'm still wondering why you've been up so late at night. And don't try telling me you haven't been awake through the night, because you are a heavy sleeper – who snores."

Marinette's stoic face gave a whisper of a laugh. "I'm not trying to lie to you. I have been staying up late. But I've been working on this project. And it's kind of time sensitive." Her mother raised an eyebrow. "I can't really divulge much information. You know, top secret stuff? But I finished my project, so no more staying up late and no more exhaustion, I promise." Her mother looked at her warmly and patted her daughter on the head. The two continued to talk for a bit, when finally, Alya made her way up to Marinette's room.

"I'll let you two talk for a while, but then Marinette really needs to get some sleep." Sabine stood up and left through the small staircase.

"So, you gave us all quite a scare there," Alya sighed.

"I know, I'm sorry."

"Marinette… You should have told me you weren't feeling well."

Marinette looked at the brunette apologetically. "I didn't feel unwell! I was tired and maybe a little hungry, but it wasn't anything I hadn't felt before, so I didn't think much of it. Trust me, if I had known it would lead to me fainting, I wouldn't have accepted Caroline's assignment." Alya gave her a look of disbelief. "I would at least have tried harder."

"You can't say no to anyone, Marinette. You're too nice and easy-going for your own good." Looking at the young maid, Alya sighed again and apologized. "I don't mean that in a bad way… Well, a little bit, I guess, but your willingness to help others opens you up to being used and over-exhausted like this. You should be more careful."

"I know. And I now you didn't mean any offense." The two sat in silence, not completely uncomfortable by the lack of conversation. Alya suddenly started grinning. "What?"

"Well, not all bad came of this situation though."

"Oh, well, please do tell me how fainting while I was working a royal dinner is not catastrophic," she said sarcastically. Sometimes she really didn't understand how the gardener's daughter brain worked.

"Oh, well, you know, you had to be brought here by someone." She began looking at the walls purposefully, making sure Marinette knew she was hiding something.

"Yes, and who was that someone so I may thank them tomorrow?"

"No one you know too well."

"Alya, just tell me already."

"Oh but it's so much more fun when you guess."

"Was it Nino?" Wait, it couldn't have been, he was in the foyer for the music. Maybe Ivan? He seems strong enough to have picked me up and Mylène might have told him that I was down for the count." Alya kept shaking her head, her smirk growing stronger every time Marinette threw out a name. "Well, I don't know! I don't know who would be able to make you smile so much and torture me with this knowledge."

"If you want a hint, I'll at least tell you that he's blond."

"I don't know any blonds."

"With green eyes…"

"Green eyes? Who in the world has green ey-" Marinette left her mouth gaping open. She looked at her friend, her jaw hanging. Alya broke out into a full smile and started giggling. "No." Marinette uttered in complete disbelief. "No".

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"Prince Adrien?"

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes, Marinette, he did! I swear to you he did and I am not the only witness to it! You can ask several of the other maids, including Mylène, by the way. They all saw it."

"He brought me here? But how? He had that dance and his father's supervision – there is no way he could have carried me all the way here."

"Well he didn't do all of that exactly. But according to some of my sources," Marinette rolled her eyes at this. "the Prince heard the commotion as he was leaving the room and ran over. He picked you up like you weighed nothing and brought you all the way to the kitchens, running."

"Running? He may be strong, but I seriously doubt he could carry my entire dead body weight while running."

"It doesn't matter whether you believe it or not, it happened!" Alya clasped her hands together near her heart. "It was so romantic!" She said dramatically, batting her eyelashes.

Marinette reached over to smack her on the arm. "Stop it!" She giggled. "You're the worst."

"I am not the worst and you know it," she began tickling her sick friend.

"Ok, stop, I surrender! You are not the worst." She put her hands up. When Alya ceased the tickle attack, both began rubbing their eyes, wiping away any tears from their laughing fit. "You really, aren't, I know. But how embarrassing to have had the prince drag me through the castle hallways…"

Someone else cleared their throat then. The two girls looked at the small staircase and perceived Nino standing there awkwardly. "Hey, Mari. Um, I was just coming up to see how you were doing."

"Oh, I'm fine, now Nino. I think that nap really helped me. Thank you for your concern."

He cleared his throat again, placing his hand on the back of his neck nervously. "Well, yeah, of course. You're my friend and all."

Alya looked at him quizzically. "What are you hiding, Nino?"

The boy blushed. "Uhh, nothing." His eyes began to dart about the room. The brunette stood up to inspect her friend closer when the young man started panicking. "Really, Alya, there's nothing that I am hiding. Nothing at all. So you can just sit back down next to Marinette and make sure she's alright. Ok?" Alya ignored him and gently shoved him to the side so she could head downstairs.

Marinette gave Nino an empathetic smile. "She can be pushy. Literally." At this, Nino chuckled.

"You know, you could've come up. She's not going to rip your head off". Alya's voice could be heard meekly. Someone must have responded, because Alya just huffed and stated, "come on".

Two set of footsteps walked up the stairs up to Marinette's room. When she looked over, the maid saw a tuff of blond hair. Then a set of green eyes. Her mouth fell open, again, and she stumbled to get out of bed. "Prince Adrien!" She tried to curtsey in her flimsy nightgown.

"Please, you don't have to!" He put his arms out to appease her.

"You saved my life! Of course I must thank you."

"I wouldn't go so far as to say I saved your life. I just made sure you didn't spend your night on a cold hard floor." The two looked into each other's eyes, a silence dropping into the atmosphere.

"Marinette", Alya said quietly. "You should get back into bed. You need to rest." As Alya started to help her friend, Prince Adrien moved and escorted the maid back to her bed. He lifted the covers for her and told her to lay down. Marinette cooperated, still somewhat in awe of the entire situation. "Come Nino, let's get something to eat." The childhood friends descended, leaving the Prince and Marinette alone.

"You can sit down if you want," Marinette finally suggested, after seeing Adrien standing awkwardly in her small room. "There's not a lot in here, but that chair can be quite comfortable."

Adrien sat down. "Thank you. It is pretty cozy."

Marinette giggled. "I really am grateful for what you did tonight."

"Just make sure it doesn't happen again." Once again, they shared a silent moment. "You know, I was beginning to worry about you, since I hadn't seen you around much. A few weeks ago, I could still see you around in the gardens with your friends or hear you striking up some conversation with someone else somewhere in these walls. But it was pretty silent lately."

She blushed and said, "Well I'm sure my absence wasn't too noticeable. I mean, you have Miss Chloé,yl after all."

"It isn't the same." He looked to the side, as if he were contemplating something.

"Ah!" He jerked back to look at her. "I almost forgot." She pulled her covers back and swung her legs out of her bed.

Prince Adrien reached out for her again. "How difficult is it for you to rest? This is the second time I'm putting you-" Marinette stood up anyways, not listening to what he was saying at all. She walked over to her desk and pulled open the small drawer. She took out a black folded piece of clothing, walked back, and handed it to him with both of her hands.

"This is for you."

He grabbed it and inspected it. "What is it?" He breathed.

"A night suit, or at least that's what I'm calling it. A while ago you said how much you would like to roam the property around the castle, so I promised you I would find a solution. This is my solution. It's a black body suit, covered in pieces of leather, so that you could leave the castle covered in darkness. The leather is in case you need to hide somewhere or climb someplace without scraping yourself. It also helps protect some against the cold. The gloves have some extra protection, just in case."

Adrien unfolded the garment and kept flipping it over, admiring the detail.

"Do you like it?"

"I – I love it. I've never seen anything like this. Where did you get it?"

"I made it." He looked at her suddenly. She blushed. "When we went out to the village that time, I went to get material for this. I got most of your measurements from the seamstress when I helped her out with some of the musicians' costumes. She makes quite a few repairs to your clothing, so they weren't difficult to find."

He looked at her deeply. "Thank you. Truly, thank you so much."

"You deserve to see your lands. Your gardens. To experience the air outside." He got up and hugged her. Marinette froze at the sudden contact. Not that she wasn't pleased, of course, but she was just so surprised that the Prince (the Prince!) seemed so grateful for something so little. "You're welcome?"

"This is amazing, Marinette. I can't even – It's so - "

"Marinette!" her mother called up the stairs. "You need to sleep. The sun has been down for hours now. Your guests need to leave."

"Yes Maman!" Marinette shouted down the stairs. "You'll have to go." She told her blond visitor. "Not that I want to kick you out. Er, I mean, heh. I mean that you're always welcome – wait, that's not right either."

The Prince laughed. "It's alright Marinette, I know you don't mean any offense. And I really do need to leave if we don't want you fainting again." He grabbed her hand and brought it close to his face. "Goodnight, Lady. Sleep well." And with that, he went downstairs to sneak out from her parents' view.

Marinette just stood in her room, red faced and stuttering. "What just happened?" She held her face with both hands. "I'm delirious. I have a fever and I'm crazy. Yep, that's what it is. Just a fever dream. It'll all be gone tomorrow. Uh-huh." She tucked herself back into bed and, although her thoughts were firing at a thousand miles an hour in her brain, she fell asleep almost immediately. Indeed, she was exhausted.

 **End note: In my last chapter I said I had a clear idea about what I wanted to happen next. This time… not so much. It might take me a while to come up with what I think will happen to the characters. But at least the project was finally finished and gifted! Woohoo! But yeah, it might be awhile until the next chapter, so please be patient with me. As always, thank you for following this story and all of your support: it means so much to me. Happy New Year to all of you lovely people.**


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